Croatian Air Force and Defence

Croatian Air Force and Air Defence
Croatian Air Force and Defence emblem
Active	1991
Country	Croatia
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	1,454 personnel
H/Q	Pleso Air Base
Motto(s)	Hrvatskim nebom bdiju i plove (Croatian Sky they Guard and Fly)
Anniversaries	December 12
Equipment	98 aircraft
Engagements	Croatian War of Independence: * Siege of Dubrovnik * Operation Maslenica * Operation Winter '94 * Operation Flash * Operation Storm Bosnian War * Operation Mistral 2 KFOR
Commanders
Current commander	brigadier general Miroslav Kovač
Notable commanders	General Imra Agotić
Insignia
Roundel
Fin Flash
Aircraft flown
Fighter	MiG-21bis
Attack helicopter	OH-58D
Patrol	PC-9M, Bell 206B-3
Trainer	Z 242L, PC-9M, MiG-21UM, Bell 206B-3
Transport	Mi-8MTV-1, Mi-171Sh

The Croatian Air Force and Air Defence (Croatian: Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo i protuzračna obrana) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other branches in the implementation of their tasks in joint operations. It is also the carrier and the organizer of the integrated anti-aircraft defense system of the Republic of Croatia.

The Croatian Air Force as it is known today was established on 12 December 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. After 2003, a large portion of the fleet was modernized or completely overhauled and the rest of the outdated fleet was retired. Croatia also acquired new-build transport helicopters, fire-fighting aircraft and basic training aircraft during this time. The planned acquisitions for additional fixed- and rotary-wing transports and fighter aircraft were, after repeated postponements, cancelled due to a difficult economic situation.

The primary role of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence is securing the sovereignty of Croatian air space and providing air support to other services during joint operations. It operates the integrated Croatian Air Defence system. Other tasks include providing help in natural, humanitarian and technological disasters, search and rescue operations, and support to other government agencies.

Commanders of the Croatian Air Force since its establishment in 1991:

The core of the air force is a squadron of 12 modernized MiG-21bisD/UMD fighters. In 2003, a minor upgrade and an extensive overhaul were performed in Romania, incorporating navigation and communication elements of the Lancer standard to make them interoperable with NATO air forces. The aircraft received no upgrade to their weapons systems. Despite initial plans to replace the MiG-21 fleet with a multirole aircraft in 2013 (delayed from 2011 due to the financial crisis) and an official tender having been issued in 2008, ongoing budgetary constraints have resulted in an abandonment of these plans. As a cost-saving measure, a decision was made to again overhaul seven serviceable airframes already in service and supplement them with five additional airframes from Ukrspetsexport. This temporary measure will see the fleet remain in service only until 2019-2020.